| Coming from Asia, we had to deal with a jet lag of 17 hours and a temperature difference of 20 degrees Celsius (70 Fahrenheit). We felt right away the good vibrations of the Californian way of life in the gay, trendy and Mexican districts of the victorian San Francisco. Going away from the mists of the Golden Gate, the Napa and Sonoma valleys showed us their secrets in a way we had never expected. Surprised and delighted beyond our expectations by Schramsberg and Opus One, Fisher and Marimar Estate, this area became one of the high points of our wine world tour. |
| The empiricism of our journey corrected the wrong representation, widely admitted in France, of the wine actors and practices from California. During the 80s and the 90s, going to the wineries was similar to going to the Hollywood Universal Studios Park. Therefore, the whole concept of reception was rethought. The Sunday strollers were pushed aside to improve the welcoming of the coincidental and faithful customers in the wine shops. The results talked for themselves: 3 million visitors came every year in 350 wineries. |
| By reorientating its policy, Uncle Sam's Saint-Tropez has built up its attractiveness and was transformed into a durably enviable destination. Gourmet restaurants and fine food boutiques played a great role in this new organisation. Together, they successfully set up an art of living closer to Tuscany and to the Nice area than to Michigan and Texas. In the sphere of influence of the Silicon valley and the think tanks, this wine area also positioned itself in a environment dedicated to Research and Development. |
| Innovation was the leitmotiv of its production - the wine making processes and the growing techniques were all on trial - and of its distribution. The strategy of the wineries was transverse and multidisplinary: it integrated the elaboration and the marketing of a wine in a inseparable way. This combined method oriented towards differentiation and creation of value was for us a tremendous experimental laboratory. Their organisation was partially adaptable to our French model to participate actively and concretely in the development of sales on the property. |
| The marketing skills were similar to those of the international cosmetic and luxury car industries. The market studies, the merchandising techniques, CRM and animation of clubs led to the emergence and to the development of strong wine brands. The targeted offers were efficient tools in the personalized relationship with customers, especially through promotional emails. In the same way, incentives aiming at influencers and wine professionals were perfectly thought and their consequences systematically analyzed. |
| On Road 29 and off the beaten tracks on Diamond Mountain and Silverado Trail, the experience was fertile. It reminded us how much listening to customers, looking for distinctive product differences and commercial offensive were essential to our profession of French wines salespeople. The individual performance of the wineries and the collective success of the wine unions were not only compatible but also concomitant: the isolated talents joined to those of the community created a stimulating competition, base of a powerful wine sector. |
| Napa: Beringer, V Sattui, Clos du Val, Stags’ Leap, Opus One, Robert Mondavi, Schramsberg, Clos Pegase, Rubicon, Sterling, Beaulieu, St. Supéry, Carneros, Hess Collection, Chandon, Grgich Hills, Château Montelena, Staglin, Diamond Creek, Dominus, Gargiulo Vineyards - Sonoma: Marimar Estate, Château St Jean, Benzinger, Kenwood, Arrowood, Ravenswood, Buena Vista, Gundlach Bundschu, Gloria Ferrer, Valley of the Moon, Fisher Vineyards - Santa Cruz: Bonny Doon - Monterey: Marilyn Remark, Chalone - Paso Robles, Santa Barbara. |
|
USA
Bacchus at Robert Mondavi in Napa valley
Californian Far West
downtown Calistoga
up the net at Fisher vineyard in Sonoma
rainbow flag of the Castro district in San Francisco
hill of Chalone in Monterey